Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Broken Links' self-released EPs over the past couple of years have provided some genuinely good listening with their blend of new wave, gothic rock and industrial. It has also been rather mind-boggling to see how long it has taken for a record label to jump at the chance of signing them. But newly founded Devil Theory Records has stepped-up to finally release the band's first full-length début.

Those already familiar with the band will found no major surprises other than in the significant jump in production quality. Though this may not be immediately noticeable when listening to the songs that were a part of the band's last EP 'Prototypes::Cause+Effect', but when listening to those songs from the earlier EPs it is evident the band has finely honed their previous works into a tight and sleek package.
Up-tempo riffs, soaring vocals, strong bass grooves and industrial embellishments make 'Disasters...' a varied and exciting listen with the likes of the opening tracks 'Electrik' and 'Within Isolation' establishing the pace, while 'Choice/Decay', '----/----' and 'Therapy Sessions In The Dark' provide the more experimental gothic affectations. However the album's crowning glory is the eight-minute-long closing track 'Substitute Yourself' with it's Joy Division meets Killing Joke formula of brooding vocals, and fantastic synth leads.

The bands formula takes the accessibility of the likes of The Manic Street Preachers and The Chameleons with the more sinister sounds of Nine Inch Nails, Joy Division and Killing Joke. It is a formula that should not only find substantial underground appeal but also play well to more mainstream audiences used to the melancholic likes of Interpol, The Horrors and Editors which should secure them a spot alongside O.Children and Cold In Berlin as rising stars.